Farm to table, self care plans & blueberry cobbler

I don’t know what it is about cooking that relaxes me so much. I turn on GooGoo Dolls, take off the bra, pull up the hair and I’m pretty much Julia Child. [Fun fact: Julie & Julia one of my all-time favorite movies].

Tuesday rolled around this week and I was in one of those slumps. I was tired, stressed and just kind of blase. I should’ve been feeling stellar considering I’m taking a few rest days to get my body back to feeling normal AND I didn’t have any clients to train … that combination hasn’t happened in over a year. But no. Grumpy Katie was in full force. I figured some vitamin D and sunshine would help, so I meandered down to the Farmer’s Market. Although, to be honest, I was a little disappointed. On Facebook, the FM made it sound like there were TONS of fresh produce and vendors at their Tuesday market. False. There were like three. One of which convinced me to buy a kholrabi (which is still sitting on my counter) and a half bruised yellow zucchini. Thanks….so much.

Ok, to greener pastures…

After buying some produce at the Market and stopping by the grocer for some additional goodies, it was go time.

On the menu:

Paleo Blueberry Cobbler (grain and refined sugar – free)

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta (with zoodles)

Roasted Vegetables – acorn squash, brussel sprouts and onions

I put on some background music, tuned up my Endocrine module lecture and got to work. I made enough to probably feed 15, because why not, right? #Leftovers … and boo-thang was joining me for dinner. I always expect him to eat for like four, but I usually out eat him. Luckily he passes zero judgment. I think I’ll keep him. The full recipes are below.

Something I was thinking about while cooking this dinner was how much it relaxes me. I had also just read a post about “Self Care” and how important it is that we practice it daily. Although many times, our mental and emotional health fall far behind our physical health — it’s not to say it’s any less important. The more I focus on overall wellness, the more I think about my mental and emotional state. For me, it’s a hard concept to digest. There are no real “PRs” or accomplished goals that can be outwardly achieved mentally and emotionally. It’s hard to be committed to something that’s seemingly intangible. But, I know it’s important. I know how much it affects me and others.

After doing some more reading on self care, I found this really neat template. It was centered around creating your self care plan. A plan designed to be reminder to you when you’re feeling a little off or down … items on this list are pre-set to include activities or reminders of things that you know make you happy, relax you or give you positive feelings. We all have those things that are good for us. But we tend to forget them. Especially during the times we need it most. This “plan” acts as a reminder to what those actions are. So that anytime you’re feeling a little off – you can look at your self care plan and pick something off the list that can turn your mood, feelings or day around.

So, here’s mine and an empty template for you to save, download and fill out for yourself. Hang it on a mirror, put it in your planner or post it on your fridge.